Harckham and Legislators Pass FY2025-2026 State Budget Focusing on Affordability, Community Investments

Albany, NY – New York State Senator Pete Harckham, along with his colleagues in the State Legislature, passed the FY2025-2026 State Budget late yesterday. Included in the fiscal plan are important initiatives to help New Yorkers financially, as well as increased funding for schools, road repairs and environmental protection. The budget maintains the state’s commitment to reducing taxes for middle-class families and aids small business owners, while funding essential services to guarantee the health and safety of New Yorkers and investing in our common future.

“Too many New Yorkers are struggling economically, so our top priority has been to include important measures in our budget that deal squarely with affordability issues statewide, from the lowest middle class tax rates in more than 70 years to universal free school lunch,” said Senator Pete Harckham. “That means ramping up investments, tax credits and housing vouchers while strengthening Medicaid and expanding universal school meals to include all students. Helping our residents and small business owners financially is still the best way to ensure New Yorkers have an opportunity to prosper and make progress in their lives.”

AFFORDABILITY

• Middle-class tax cut delivered for the sixth year in the past seven
• Inflation Refund Check, Small Business Tax Credit, and Working Families Tax Credit
• Baby Bucks Allowance pilot program

ROADS AND TRANSPORTATION INFRASTRUCTURE

• An $800 million increase for the Department of Transportation Capital Plan
• An increase of $50 million for Consolidated Local Highway Improvement programs (CHIPS) for a total of $648 million
• $1.4 billion contribution to the 2025-2029 MTA Capital Plan

“Residents and business owners count on safe and reliable roadways every single day, so keeping them well-maintained is a priority,” said Senator Harckham. “The increased investments New York is making in its highways, roads and bridges, along with its mass transportation infrastructure, underscore how critical they are to our economy and quality of life.” 

EDUCATION

• The enacted budget fulfills the Senate Majority’s commitment to fully fund education with over $26 billion in Foundation Aid funding, a $100 million increase over the Executive Budget
• Total amount of school aid in Senate District 40 (SD40) is $575,275,444, up $42,9845,601 (8.1%) from last year
• $340 million to provide free breakfast and lunch to all students statewide     

Since Senator Hackham has been in office (2019), state aid to SD40 schools has increased over $250 million cumulatively.

PROTECTING THE ENVIRONMENT, PUBLIC HEALTH & QUALITY OF LIFE

• Added $25 million to the Environmental Protection Fund, raising it to $425 million
• $1 billion for the Sustainable Futures Program, which includes $50 million for clean green schools, clean transportation, energy conservation and renewable power
• $90M for public swimming facilities through NY SWIMS (Safe Swimming, Address Equity Gaps) 

Senator Harckham, who is chair of the Senate Environment Conservation Committee, said, “New York’s commitment to environmental protections and fighting climate change is leading the nation. Whether it is making our communities more resilient and sustainable or protecting our fragile drinking water supplies or reducing greenhouse gases and air pollution, we can be proud of our achievements. We must do all we can to ensure a cleaner, safer and livable future for all of us.”

COMMUNITY INVESTMENTS

• A $400 million increase, now totaling $2.2 billion statewide, for affordable childcare, plus $110 million to build and renovate childcare centers
• $21.6 million for youth development programs, plus $10 million for a youth sports initiative
• Funding for key anti-violence programs, including $21 million for SNUG (gun violence outreach program) and $36.4 million for the Gun Involved Violence Elimination (GIVE) initiative
• Funding for a Behavioral Health Crisis Technical Assistance Center to communities develop peer-led response programs
• 2-1-1 Helpline funding, which provides vital information, referral services for residents

“This budget recognizes that New Yorkers face challenges every day but remain steadfast in wanting to better and enrich their lives,” said Senator Harckham. “We provide immediate relief in the form of rebate checks and lower taxes while continuing to build for the future. The enacted state budget’s investments provide learning opportunities for students as well as bolster communities and the economy. The historic commitments in the Environmental Protection Fund and Sustainable Futures Fund mean new clean sources of energy that will preserve our natural environment for ourselves and generations to come. These commitments underscore the state’s dedication to infrastructure, education, and the environment.”